Two North Carolina high school football standouts from opposite ends of the state have committed to opposite sides of one of the sport’s most iconic rivalries.
Charlotte Christian’s Henry Hulbert announced Tuesday that he is committing to Army West Point. Just a day earlier, Wake Forest High’s Nico Hunter revealed his pledge to Navy. Both defensive backs are members of the Class of 2026 — and both received their first Division I offers from the service academies they’ll soon represent.
Hulbert and Hunter are the first known North Carolina commitments for Army and Navy in the 2026 cycle. The academies now compete in the American Athletic Conference together but will continue their tradition-rich showdown at the end of each regular season — a game that has become a national spectacle of pageantry, pride and often defense-first football.
Hulbert and Hunter now will have sideline and inside-the-huddle access once they complete their high school careers.
📊Henry Hulbert | Army West Point 2026 Commit
🧩 Position: Safety
📍 Hometown: Charlotte, NC
🎓 High School: Charlotte Christian Knights (7-4 in 2024)
🧢 High School Coach: Chris James
📏 Height/Weight: 6-0, 190
📚 GPA: 4.0
🎯 Offers/Interest: Visited Army the weekend of June 13-15. Also took a visit to Richmond in early June. Offered by VMI, Richmond, Brown.
💪 News & Notables: Recruited as a safety but played in all phases of the game in 2024 … Earned second-team all-conference … Picked off five passes and recovered a fumble from the defensive backfield. Also finished with 36 tackles and one sack … On the offensive side, he rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown … Kicked off 21 times, with a long of 75 yards … Has seven career interceptions at the varsity level.
📊Nico Hunter | Navy 2026 Commit
🧩 Position: Defensive back
📍 Hometown: Wake Forest
🎓 High School: Wake Forest Cougars (5-7 in 2024)
🧢 High School Coach: Reggie Lucas
📏 Height/Weight: 6-2, 175
📚 GPA: 3.5
🎯 Offers/Interest: Navy extended its offer in May. Hunter attended spring practices at NC State and Old Dominion, as well as Winston-Salem State’s spring game. He received a prospect camp invite from Emory & Henry.
💪 News & Notables: Played in nine games for the Cougars last season, recording 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a fumble recovery and six pass break-ups.
📌 More 2026 Recruiting Coverage:
- 🔁 NC High School Commitment Tracker – Where top NC prospects are committing (in-state & out-of-state)
- 🎯 NC College Commitment Tracker – Who’s heading to North Carolina college programs (from NC and beyond)
- 📊 NC Class of 2026 Player Rankings – Our composite rankings based on 247Sports, Rivals, On3 & ESPN
